Footwear digitization system and method

Abstract

A footwear digitization system and method configured to determine physical attributes for an given footwear or other cut-and-stitched item, including dimensional and spatial properties, optical attributes, and assembly information, and utilizing those properties and attributes to generate a digital three-dimensional model thereof.

We claim:  
     
         1 . A method for digitizing footwear and other cut-and-stitched goods, comprising:
 obtaining a digital, three-dimensional (3D ) reference model dimensionally representing a selected cut-and-stitched item;   panelizing a physical sample of the selected cut-and-stitched item by separating the physical sample into one or more separate, flattened physical panels;   capturing digitized images of each of the one or more flattened panels;   producing, via a contour outline mechanism embodied as coded, machine-readable image-processing, instructions executing on data processing circuitry of a computing device, a two-dimensional (2D) contour map of each of the one or more digitized panel images;   determining whether the 2D contour maps of the one or more separated panels match an available 3D template;   converting contours of the 2D panel contour maps to vector-based curves by executing, via data processing circuitry of a computing device, coded, machine-readable instructions including a feature point extraction and curve-fitting algorithm;   transforming sizes and shapes of panels of the matched 3D template to match the curves of the converted 2D panels;   tessellating the panels of the 3D template; and   wrapping the tessellated 3D panels onto the 3D reference model.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 positioning, the one or more flattened panels relative to a color-contrasting background prior to capturing the digitized images.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the capturing digitized images includes capturing digitized images including; data corresponding to optical properties of the one or more flattened panels. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the capturing digitized images includes either or both of scanning the flattened panels with structured light and capturing images via a three-dimensional camera apparatus. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the captured digitized images include either or both of diffusely reflected light images and specularly reflected light images. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising:
 producing from the optical property data each of a color bitmap and a reflectance map.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising:
 producing from the captured digitized images a micro-detail map   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the obtaining a digital, 3D reference model comprises selecting a reference model from among one or more such digitized reference models stored at a tangible data storage medium. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the obtaining a digital, 3D reference model comprises either of scanning a physical sample of the selected cut-and-stitched item with a conventional 3D scanner or scanning a last corresponding to the selected cut-and-stitched item via a conventional 3D scanner. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the obtaining a digital, 3D reference model comprises accessing a 3D computer aided drafting (CAD) reference model of either of the selected cut-and-stitched item or of a last corresponding to the selected cut-and-stitched item. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the matching, between the 2D panel contour maps and the 3D template comprises:
 determining that an overall quantity of panels in the 2D panel contour maps matches an overall quantity of panels in the 3D template;   determining that a close match exists between shapes of the panels in the 2D panel contour maps and shapes of the panels in the 3D template; and   determining that a dose match exists between quantities and positions of original pre-panelized connection points of the panels of the 2D panel contour maps and quantities and positions of original pre-panelized connection points of the panels of the 3D template.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the transforming, for each panel, comprises:
 identifying a curve among the 2D contours that matches a curve of the 3D template panel;   altering the curve of the 3D template panel to match the identified 2D curve's shape:, and   altering dimensions of the 3D template panel to match key points along the altered curve match with corresponding points along the identified 2D curve.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein wrapping the tessellated panels of the 3D template onto the 3D reference model comprises:
 defining locations of one or more points on each tessellated panel;   defining locations of one or more corresponding points of the 3D reference model;   transforming the points of each tessellated panel by executing, via data processing circuitry of a computing device, a 3D morphing algorithm configured as coded, machine-readable instructions, wherein the transforming comprises:   deforming each tessellated panel by such transforming, and   aligning, each deformed panel with the 3D reference model so that each aligned, deformed panel lies in close conformance with a surface of the 3D reference model.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein defining locations of one or more points on each tessellated panel comprises either or both of selecting one or more points along a contour line of a panel and selecting one or more points within a space whose perimeter is defined by the panel contour line. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 replicating in place each of the panels wrapped onto the 3D reference model, forming a second surface wrapped onto the 3D reference model,   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein each panel of the second surface is connected with the panel of which it is a copy. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 displacing the second surface outwardly from the 3D reference model while maintaining 3D conformance therebetween.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein an amount of then outward displacement of the second surface varies at one portion of a panel of the second surface relative to either another portion of that same panel or a portion of another panel of the second surface. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein an amount of the outward displacement of the second surface corresponds to a thickness of a material of the physical sample of the selected cut-and-stitched item. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 displacing the second surface inwardly toward the 3D reference model while maintaining 3D conformance therebetween.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein an amount of the inward displacement of the second surface varies at one portion of a panel of the second surface relative to either another portion of that same panel or a portion of another panel of the second surface. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein an amount of the inward displacement of the second surface corresponds to a thickness of a material of the physical sample of the selected cut-and-stitched item. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 digitally disposing one or more torus-type primitives at locations relative to one or more of the wrapped panels corresponding to one or more lace eyelets of the physical sample of the selected cut-and-stitched item.   
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 drawing, relative to the 3D reference model, a digitized 3D path of a lace corresponding to a lace path of the physical sample of the selected cut-and-stitched item.   
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the 3D reference model is modeled from a 3D scan of a last, further comprising:
 manually modeling an unflattened portion of the physical sample.   
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 merging a digital model of an unflattened portion of the physical sample with the wrapped 3D panels in a configuration that is digitally faithful to a configuration of the unflattened portion relative to the physical panels in the physical sample prior to panelization of the cut-and-stitched item.